The present invention relates to a holder for containing ink to be supplied to recording means, a holder on which the ink container is mounted, an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the holder and a mounting method for mounting the ink container to the holder, wherein the mounting property is improved.
An ink jet recording apparatus is known which comprises a recording head for effecting recording on a recording material by ejecting the ink, an ink container for accommodating the ink to be supplied to the recording head and a container holder for detachably mountably holding the ink container, the container holder having the recording head. Among such apparatuses, a color printer capable of color printing has recording heads for magenta, yellow, cyan and black inks, and ink containers corresponding to recording head are exchangeable at specified positions in the holder.
Various methods for preventing mounting at erroneous position in such a recording device have been made to assure the mounting at the correct positions.
For example, the position in the holder determined for the respective colors are recognized by a label; a warning display is effected in response to detection of an erroneous mounting of the container after the container mounting; or the erroneous mounting is detected on the basis of an abnormality in the image when the printing is effected.
In a second example, configurations of the joint portion of the ink container for connection with an ink supply port of a recording head portion are made different for the colors to prevent the erroneous mounting. In a third example, a projection is provided outside the ink container, and the container holder is provided with a corresponding to the projection is provided, and such discrimination structure is made different for the respective colors.
Recently, the ink jet printer has been improved in the image quality, and greater kinds of inks are used. For example, it is known that two different inks are chemically reacted on the surface of the sheet of paper by which the ink is fixed thereon with improved water-resistance and wearing property, in such a case, if the ink container were erroneously mounted, the functions of the recording head per se and the quality of the recorded image are seriously damaged.
However, with the conventional erroneous mounting prevention function is not satisfactory. In the first example, the erroneous mounting is detected after the mounting of the ink container, and therefore, the ink may be solidified and plug the ink ejection output with the result of an ejection failure, an image defect and the apparatus failure. In the case of apparatus of an ink container exchangeable type, an exchange of the recording exchange may be required.
In the second example, the ink container is not completely mounted, but it is required that joint portion has to be contacted before the detection of erroneous mounting, so that mixture of the ink occurs at the time of the contact, and therefore, the same troubles may result. In addition, unnecessary exchange of the recording heads is required in the case of the apparatus of the ink container exchangeable type.
In the third example, the erroneous mounting is prevented physically, and therefore, the liability of the ink mixing is low, and the erroneous mounting prevention structure is quite effective. However, the packaging type for the ink container to protect the projection extended from the ink container is complicated and bulky, with the result of high cost. Additionally, the size of the apparatus is increased due to the increase of the number of IDs (the none of the types to be discriminated) resulting from increase of the number of inks with the tendency of demands for the high image quality and for the multi-function of the ink and due to the increase of the space required by the increased ID members.
On the other hand, in the case of an exchangeable ink container, it is preferable that holder to which the ink container is mounted and the ink container per se have structures with which the users can easily and assuredly mounting the ink container.
Structures with which the ink container is mounted to or demounted from the recording head and the cartridge having integral head and ink container, are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. SHO 60-192643, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 5-162301, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 5-162323, EP0640482, EP0655336, EP0698497, EP0640482, EP0655336, EP0698497 for example. In the structures disclosed there, a cartridge is provided with a center shaft, around which the cartridge is rotated while it is mounted; the ink container or the cartridge is engaged with a hook or a lever, and is guided by the hook or the lever while it is mounted; the container is directly by the user and is pushed into the mounting petition; or the container is provided with an elastic lever which facilitates the mounting operation. The ink container or the cartridge having such a structure has a rectangular outer structure, and therefore, the space required for the mounting including the moving space therefor is relatively large with the result of bulkiness of the apparatus. It is particularly remarkable in the structure in which transitional motion is used for the mounting.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an ink accommodating container in which the apparatus is downsized with respect to the discrimination structure for the prevention of the color mixture due to erroneous mounting, and the mounting is easy and assured, a holder assembly to which the ink accommodating container is mounted, an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the holder assembly, and a mounting method for mounting the ink accommodating container to the holder.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink container for containing ink to be supplied to a recording head, the ink container comprising: an ink container casing; an ink supplying portion provided in the ink container casing and constituting an opening for permitting supply of the ink to the recording head; and an inclined portion provided in a region of the casing which is above, in a use state of the ink container, the ink supplying portion on a side of the casing having the ink supplying portion, the inclined portion being inclined toward inside of the casing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink container for containing ink to be supplied to a recording head, the ink container comprising: a first inclined portion which is provided above, in use sate of the ink container, an ink supplying portion constituting an opening for permitting supply of the ink to the recording head on a side having the ink supplying portion, the first inclined portion being inclined in a direction gradually reducing an outer shape of the ink container; and a second inclined portion provided on a bottom, in a use state of the ink container, portion of the ink container, the second inclined portion being inclined in a direction of gradually reducing the outer shape of the ink container.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holder for detachably mounting therein an ink container retaining ink to be supplied to a recording head, comprising: an ink supply tube for connecting with an ink supplying portion provided in the ink container and for receiving the ink; an engaging portion in the form of a recess or projection corresponding to a peculiar projection or recess of the ink container; a guiding member for guiding mounting of the ink container to guide the ink supply tube into an ink supplying portion of the ink container.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting method of mounting an ink container to a holder, the holder including an engaging portion in the form of a recess or projection for erroneous mounting prevention, an ink supply tube and a mounting guide, the ink container including an ink accommodating portion, a projection or recess for erroneous mounting prevention, an ink supply port and a valve mechanism disposed in the ink supply port, the method comprising: a step of adapting the projection or recess to the engaging portion of the holder; a step of establishing a state of a part of the ink supply tube of the holder being inserted into the ink supply port of the ink container; a step of contacting a crossing portion between a bottom side of the ink container and a side opposite from the ink supply port of the ink container to the mounting guide of the holder; a step of applying a force having a downward component to an upper surface of the ink container adjacent a side opposite from the ink supply port; a step of moving, by the force, a crossing portion between a bottom side of the ink container and a side opposite from the ink supply port of the ink container along the mounting guide; wherein by the moving step, the ink container advances toward the ink supply tube of the holder, and the ink supply tube is inserted into the ink supply port, so that the ink supply tube opens the valve mechanism of the ink container to enable supply of the ink.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus comprising a holder as defined in said third aspect, an ink container as defined in said first aspect, a carriage reciprocable along a surface of a recording material and means for controlling a recording signal for ejecting the ink from a recording head provided in the holder.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an upper portion above the ink supply port at the front side with respect to the inserting direction of the ink container, so that rotation is used in the mounting, in which the distance between the ink supply port and the ink supply tube can be shortened, so that holder structure is downsized. By inclining the bottom portion of the ink container toward the ink supply port, the initial position of the ink container in the mounting action, can be made close to the horizontal position so that ink supply tube can be smoothly inserted into the ink supply port of the ink container. By the inclination, the ink can be directed toward the supply port so that ink usability can be improved. By detecting the remaining amount of the ink at the inclined portion, a correct ink detection is accomplished because the ink is unlikely to remain such an inclined portion.
By providing the holder for receiving the ink container with the mounting guide, the ink container is urged toward the supply tube irrespective of the direction of the ink container mounting force so that assured mounting can be accomplished.
By the provision of the structure for preventing the erroneous mounting in each of the ink container and the holder, the erroneous mounting can be avoided before the ink supply tube is connected to the ink container, so that deterioration of the print such as the color mixture can be avoided.
In addition, the stable mounting operation can be accomplished with the small space required for the mounting, so that compact ink jet recording apparatus can be provided.
Furthermore, the length of the ink supply tube can be reduced so that amount of the ink considered not for the printing but for a refreshing operation for the ink filling can be reduced, and therefore, the volume of the residual ink absorbing material can be minimized, so that ink jet recording apparatus can be further downsized.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.